


League of Legends drafts

by fuurin (uzumaki_rakku)



Series: Fragments of Legends [2]
Category: League of Legends
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Ninjas - Freeform, hell if i know, ninjas are repressed folks xd, one-sided KaynZed undertones, or are they overtones, takes place just before the second Jhinvestigation, there are also ZedShen under-overtones in the second one
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-26
Updated: 2018-05-17
Packaged: 2019-04-28 00:51:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14437902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uzumaki_rakku/pseuds/fuurin
Summary: 1.in your shadow.Grabbing a Darkin scythe wasn't such a great idea after all. [Kayn gets possessed by Rhaast, goes back, attacks Zed]There was a subtle, almost imperceptible shift in the shadows and Zed paused, one hand at the edge of his mask.“Aptitude for the shadow arts is no excuse for your neglect of the basic courtesy of knocking,” he said, placing the teacup in his other hand back upon the table. “You’re late. Did the Noxians put up an actual fight?”2.heart.Zed and Shen have a conversation on what to do following Jhin's re-emergence.





	1. in your shadow

**Author's Note:**

> Draft of a longer fic I'm (slowly) working on. Kayn's characterisation is probably a little softer than canon? Though it's understandable, given the circumstances.

There was a subtle, almost imperceptible shift in the shadows and Zed paused, one hand at the edge of his mask.

“Aptitude for the shadow arts is no excuse for your neglect of the basic courtesy of knocking,” he said, placing the teacup in his other hand back upon the table. “You’re late. Did the Noxians put up an actual fight?”

A scarlet scythe cut through the air, but caught only insubstantial darkness in its blade as the ninja instantly switched places with a shadow.

The Darkin-corrupted form of his student laughed as it fully emerged from the wall and Zed silently cursed himself, realising what must have happened.

He should never have sent the boy to Noxus.

The horned creature scanned the room with its crimson gaze, the eye on its weapon glowing with bloodlust.

**“So this is your precious ‘Master Zed’…”** the creature spoke in a deep, gravelly rumble – so jarringly different from the sharp tones of the boy it possessed, which had always been full of adolescent arrogance.  **“Why don’t we see if the student has finally surpassed the teacher?”**

Zed made no reply, shifting soundlessly within the shadows of the darkened room as he waited for an opening.  _ That foolish child… _

The temple was eerily quiet. None of the acolytes had even noticed the intrusion, and Zed was uncertain if any of them had already fallen to the Blade of Millennia.

He could see fresh blood gleaming on the weapon’s edge, and remembered that Nakuri had been missing ever since Kayn left on his mission.

**“I tire of this hide-and-seek,”** the creature said, tilting its head at the upper right corner of the nearest wall.  **“You shall – ”**

Zed struck. Shadow imitations of himself surrounded the Darkin within the fraction of a second, forcing it to defend against the flurry of shuriken coming from all angles, and the Master of Shadows used that distraction to bring his dual shadow blades down upon the creature’s back.

_ Clang. _

The scythe had blocked the deadly blow, the two weapons crashing together with such force that it sent a jolt of pain up his forearm. The Darkin laughed, and the eye on its scythe glowed even brighter with gleeful triumph.

_ Shared field of vision, _ Zed thought.  _ As I expected. _

**“The unseen blade?”** the creature mocked as tendrils of corruption began creeping towards Zed.  **“There is no weapon deadlier than I.”**

_ “Is that so?” _ Zed said softly.

The shadows around them abruptly converged upon the Darkin, reforming themselves as coils of rope-like bindings wound tightly around their enraged captive.

Zed readied his blades, hands clenched into fists as he stared upon what his student had become. “You will go no further.”

There was no room for hesitation or regret, no time to lament the fate of the boy in whose eyes Zed had once seen his past self. He had but one chance to kill the Darkin before it could break free from its bonds.

“This is the end.”

And yet, his blade stopped bare millimetres from the creature’s neck.

Pain blossomed along his chest and back as he was sent flying into a wall. He had barely managed to avoid a fatal blow, but the bladed edge had still grazed him and left a bleeding cut across his abdomen.

Zed coughed wetly as he forced himself back on his feet, but he was weakened, and could not react in time as the Darkin dissolved into intangible shadow which dived into his body.

That was Kayn’s unique skill, of which the boy had been so proud…

Kayn’s mastery of the shadow arts was second only to Zed himself, but now he had the power of a Darkin – no, it was the Darkin which possessed Kayn’s power, and Zed found himself swiftly losing strength against the creature. Every cell in his body  _ burned  _ with the pain, and somewhere in the back of his mind he was grateful that his throat had closed up from the unbearable agony. He would not give his tormentor the satisfaction of hearing him scream.

**“CAN’T BEAR TO KILL YOUR BOY?”** the Darkin’s voice boomed inside his mind.  **“FOOL! KAYN WEEPS IN THE ABYSS BETWEEN OBLIVIONS.”**

His senses, overloaded with pain, began to go numb as he lost feeling in his limbs and collapsed onto the floor.

He had lost his only chance. That moment of hesitation, the simplest yet most fatal of mistakes, had cost him everything in that fight. It was truly laughable that petty  _ sentiment _ would bring him to his end, despite all he had done and all he had achieved…

Zed made one last, desperate reach for the shadows.

Was this how Kusho had felt?

He fell into darkness.

.

“Master Zed… Master Zed!”

He knew that voice.

“Please wake up… you can’t just die like this!”

The anguished tone was unfamiliar to him, but if he could just remember who it was…

“I’m sorry…”

His head was pounding and he wanted to sleep for an eternity, but that person simply would not stop talking and  _ he knew that voice. _

“Brat…” Zed rasped, cracking open a bleary eye to glare at his errant pupil. “You sure know… how to get into the worst trouble…”

“Master Zed!!”

Zed gave a cry of pain as he was seized around the torso by the distraught youth. “S… Stop that!”

“I’M SO SORRY!”

“Get  _ off!” _

Kayn flinched but did not relinquish his hold, only lessening the pressure so his teacher could actually breathe. The young ninja’s long dark hair had fallen loose from its usual braid, brushing against Zed’s chin in a manner that was beginning to tickle.

_ Wait. _

_ “You removed my mask?!” _ Zed hissed, and Kayn pulled back immediately, looking at him with wide eyes.

“You weren’t breathing!” he protested guiltily. “I had to do  _ something.” _

Zed came to a quick decision that he was better off without considering the full implications of that sentence – which was just as well, since his attention had already been drawn to more pressing matters.

The Darkin’s corruption was evident on Kayn’s body, beginning at his claw-like left hand and creeping up his arm, such that the entire limb and shoulder appeared to be encased in some form of armour.

Zed abruptly pushed himself up, ignoring the sharp pain the movement sent through his body. To Kayn’s credit he did not even shudder as his master moved, lightning-fast despite his injuries, shadow blades coming to rest just below Kayn’s bowed head. He froze in place, hardly daring to breathe, as the weapons’ lethal tips lightly grazed the underside of his chin.

“Raise your head,” Zed commanded and Kayn could only obey, further exposing his bare neck.

His eyes remained downcast, and it took all his effort not to flinch when the master assassin’s other hand moved towards his face, blades fully extended. Every instinct screamed at him to run, but he could not.

He dared not.

The shadow blades moved with excruciating slowness, pushing aside the veil of his bangs to reveal the left side of his face. There was no hiding the mark of corruption upon his skin, or the glowing scarlet eye that had replaced his own.

He watched, heart thundering in his chest, as Zed tilted his hand ever so slightly and strands of dark hair immediately fell, severed by their contact with the weapon’s edge.

“Is it fear that keeps you from looking at me?” Zed asked, his voice unnervingly calm.

Kayn swallowed shallowly, and forced himself to meet the older ninja’s gaze. “Shame,” he whispered.

“You deliberately disobeyed me,” his master said, dark red eyes pinning him like a butterfly to a mounting board. “You killed a fellow acolyte and attacked your master. Your arrogance nearly brought destruction upon us all.”

In horror Kayn felt hot and bitter tears forming in his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

There was an urgent knock on the door before either of them could speak another word.

Kayn choked on a sob as the older ninja retracted his blades and got to his feet.

“You will remain here,” Zed’s expression was inscrutable. “I shall decide what to do with you later.”

 


	2. heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes place after Zed and Shen's meeting in Jhin's lore, and the discovery of Jhin's new victims.

Shen stepped into the moonlit clearing and stood facing his former friend, a distance of exactly ten paces between them.

Neither had brought their subordinates along, and the silence hung grim and heavy in the air for several minutes before Zed finally spoke.

“So it’s begun,” he said.

“What is it that you want?” Shen asked, cutting straight to the point.

“To stop him,” Zed replied. “Whatever the cost may be.”

For every breath Shen drew as he considered those words, Zed took a step closer. When Shen looked directly at him again, only half the original distance remained between them.

“You intend to kill him,” Shen said quietly.

A cloud hid the moon’s soft silver light, and Zed’s eyes glowed like embers in the darkness. “And you do not?”

Shen grit his teeth. “I must follow the path of balance.”

“So you can repeat your father’s mistakes?” Zed challenged. “His path lead to nothing but failure. The true assassin kills one to save many.”

For the first time that night, there was visible emotion in Shen’s stern features. “Then who did you save when you murdered my father and slaughtered half of the Order?” he snarled, eyes burning with a rage that had been frozen for years.

Zed closed his eyes. _Myself,_ he almost answered, but knew it to be pointless for Shen would never believe him.

“I don’t pretend to justify my actions to you,” he said finally. “All I can say is that mercy, without justice, grows unmerciful. You cannot possibly spare his life this time, when you have already laid eyes upon the results of Kusho’s false mercy!”

But Shen, having recovered from his momentary lapse into emotion, said nothing. The anger had dissipated from his features, like ripples fading back into the tranquillity of a still pond.

Zed’s frustration had reached its highest point.

“If you’re so devoted to _balance_ ,” he snapped, stepping closer as he sought for the words that could cut deep enough to bleed. “Then tell me this: if killing me would serve equilibrium, would you do it without hesitation? Or, if balance dictates that I should live, can you really let me go without an ounce of hesitation in your heart?”

“The Eye is blind to fear, to hate, to love – to all things that would sway equilibrium,” Shen replied evenly. But Zed had seen the briefest twitch of motion in Shen’s hands, as though he longed to wrap them around his rival’s throat. He took another step towards his former friend, and a thrill of vicious enjoyment ran through him when he saw Shen tense.

“You may be the Eye of Twilight,” he pressed on, relentless, “And your soul may not be entirely human, but your _heart_...” He stepped closer and closer as he spoke, until the two of them stood face-to-face with two fingers from Zed’s hand pressed against Shen’s sternum, hard enough to bruise.

Shen did not move, neither pulling away in retreat nor leaning closer so he could slit the other man’s neck.

“Your heart is still human, and how it bleeds – _do not deny it!”_ Zed practically shouted, as Shen opened his mouth to speak.

“You cannot deny what I know to be true,” he repeated, as though the utterance of those words could vindicate him. “I _know_ your heart as well as my own, for—”

“For it was once yours,” Shen said quietly.

Zed flinched, stumbling back with eyes wide in shock and heart thundering in his chest. Then he laughed, loud and harsh and angry. “You have never been able to lie to me, _brother,”_ he spat out. “Do not attempt it now.”

But Shen only shook his head.

“Much as I have tried to deny it,” he said, still in that soft voice, “It is the truth.”


End file.
